We find no sense in talking about something unless we specify how we measure it; a definition by the method of measuring a quantity is the one sure way of avoiding talking nonsense…
- Sir Hermann Bondi
This book was a great read and completely changed the way I think about measurement. It offers many techniques for taking the data you already have and analyzing them in ways that allow you make better decisions. It also teaches you how to evaluate what kinds of additional information would be most helpful to solving your problem, and even put a dollar value on how much it would be worthwhile to spend get that information in order to make a better decision.
Most importantly, it does an excellent job of challenging the basic assumption that some things just aren’t measurable. After reading this book, I feel like there’s always something I can do to help get the information I need, understand my problem better, and make a better decision. I heartily recommend this book.
Thanks for the generous review. That’s a great quote from Bondi, by the way. I should find a way to insert in in the upcoming second edition
I am intrigued by your post. How approachable is the book for someone who has a limited ability with numbers in general, and actively avoids all contact with programming? In other words, is this book for a math person like you, or is it also for non-math people?
Hi Anshu,
I’d say it’s very approachable for non-math people. There’s not that much math in it, it’s more about effective strategies for thinking about how to turn things you already know, or could find out without much effort, into measurements of the things you care about. It’s worth a read just for the stories of people who came up with interesting and insightful ways of measuring things.